We don’t require anyone’s advice before coming up with an election roadmap- EC

The Electoral Commission has said it does not require anyone’s advice before coming up with an election roadmap.

Following the announcement of a revised election roadmap for the 2021 polls in which the Electoral Commission banned campaign rallies in favour of TVs and radio, several politicians especially from the opposition blasted the election body for not consulting stakeholders before coming up with the revised program.

Speaking during NBS TV’s Morning Breeze on Wednesday, Electoral Commission spokesperson, Jotham Taremwa said their mandate does not include consulting stakeholders before coming up with an election program.

“When electoral commission is preparing an electoral program, it does not require to subject that decision to anyone’s opinion. We don’t require anybody’s permission as per article 61 of the constitution to tell us to release a program or not. It can only be done through an amendment,” Taremwa said.

“What we do in accordance with the law and in exercising our mandate as per the constitution, when you release a program, you subject it to stakeholders.”

https://nilepost.co.ug/2020/06/17/bobi-wine-rejects-ridiculous-scientific-2021-election-roadmap/

He explained that stakeholders and other members of the public can send in their views about the election roadmap after it has been released and not before.

This way, Taremwa said amendments can be done but within the time limits as given by the Electoral Commission.

“If you release a program, you subject it to stakeholders. The amendment is within the time given. They can say we have given them few days and need to increase or have been given many days and need them reduced. If we come up with guidelines, stakeholders can say, this will not be helpful and we can change that.”

On Tuesday, the Electoral Commission chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama said the revised program is not cast in stone and can be changed.

"These measures are not cast in stone and if experts tell us we can resume life as normal as has been the case, we shall inform candidates on what to do," he said.

President Museveni last month said it would be dangerous to conduct the 2021 general elections when the virus is not yet contained.

“If the virus can stop by June or July, we can have the elections. We don’t have to have a long campaign time it is easy to organise. If it doesn’t, it is very dangerous. Countries like Iran went on with the elections when the virus was still around and it caused a lot of problems, it is very dangerous,” he said during an exclusive interview with NBS TV.

https://nilepost.co.ug/2020/06/17/joseph-kabuleta-threatens-to-sue-electoral-commission-over-scientific-2021-elections/